In-line liquid trigger valve

ABSTRACT

A trigger valve may be disposed between a fluid source and a gas utilization destination. A trigger valve can have housing with an inlet and an outlet. A trigger material may be disposed between the inlet and outlet within the housing. The trigger material can seal the housing to prevent fluid flow to the outlet in response to liquid being present in the housing.

SUMMARY

A liquid blocking trigger valve, in accordance with various embodiments,has a housing with an inlet and an outlet. A trigger material isdisposed between the inlet and outlet within the housing and isconfigured to seal the housing to prevent fluid flow to the outlet inresponse to liquid being present in the housing.

Both the immediate inlet side of the housing and separating filterporous member have a pore size that is smaller than the granular drysize of the trigger material used in the trigger valve to entrap thetrigger material between the immediate inlet port side and theseparating filter porous member. Gasses are not adsorbed by the triggermaterial. Upon normal operation, sample gases from a source normallypass through the housing from the inlet port side to the outlet portside unimpeded. If the sample gasses passing through the apparatuscontains a liquid component with the gaseous component, then the liquidcomponent will be adsorbed and held by the trigger material and will notpass through to the outlet.

If enough liquid passes into the housing, the trigger material expandsup to 400 times in size and can turn into a soft gel which contains andholds the liquids. If enough liquids enters into the housing, then theexpanding gel will block the inlet and/or outlet entirely and eliminatethe possibility of liquid or gases passing through the housing, therebyprotecting any distal or proximal equipment that is sensitive to liquidintrusion.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 represents an example sample system arranged in accordance withvarious embodiments.

FIG. 2 displays an example testing system configured and operated inaccordance with some embodiments.

FIGS. 3A & 3B respectively show line representations of an exampletrigger valve that may be employed in the systems of FIGS. 1 & 2.

FIGS. 4A-4C respectively convey cross-sectional line representations ofexample trigger valves that can be utilized in the systems of FIGS. 1 &2.

FIG. 5 depicts a block representation of an example transmissionassembly capable of being used by the systems of FIGS. 1 & 2.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of an example sample flow routine carried out bythe systems of FIGS. 1 & 2 in accordance with various embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various embodiments are generally directed to apparatus, systems, andmethods of using a liquid trigger valve in an in-line capacity.

In assorted fluid transport systems and environments, liquid is unwantedand can even be detrimental to operating performance. It is to beunderstood that a fluid is hereby meant as a genus term that may consistof any number and volume of liquids and gases. A liquid is hereby meantas an incompressible substance with firmly, but not rigidly, boundparticles that can freeze or evaporate at predetermined temperatures. Agas is hereby meant as a compressible substance with widely separatedand free moving particles that can condense into a liquid or undergodeposition into a solid form.

While some embodiments will be directed to the collection, transport,and measurement of fluids associated with hydrocarbon exploration,extraction, and transmission, which can be characterized generally asmudlogging, the disclosure is not so limited. For instance, a liquidtrigger valve may be used in the transportation, processing, andmeasurement of any type of fluid combination of gas and liquid, gasalone, or liquid alone.

Throughout the history of the mudlogging industry, a focus is thecollection of sample gasses out of the drilling fluid utilized in thedrilling of natural resources and the subsequent quantitation andanalyzation of the drilling fluid to ascertain information about thefluid as well as the underground source of the fluid. Such ascertainedfluid information allows people in charge of drilling operations to makecritical decisions during the drilling process, such as where to drilland where to stop drilling.

A sample gas can be extracted from drilling fluid using a mechanicalagitation means, for example, that is entrapped within some kind ofenclosure and then drawn from an extraction apparatus to analyzingequipment using a vacuum principal of some sort. During the mechanicalsample gas extraction, water and other liquids may become atomized anddrawn into the vacuum collection system with the sample gasses. Thisvaporous water and other liquids can condensate within the sampletransport line during the travel from the extraction method to theanalyzation equipment.

While liquid extraction means, such as a moisture trap and drop-out jar,can capture some liquids before the liquids reach the analyzationequipment, issues occur when the liquid extraction means fail or havedegraded performance that allows liquids to reach destinations reservedsolely for gas. For instance, a drop out jar or collection vessel mayfill to capacity thereby allowing a full flow of liquid into the samplegas analyzer. Generally, if condensate liquids are drawn through thesample gas analyzer, the sample gas analyzer will be damaged and be inneed of repair. Hence, it is a continued industry interest to provideliquid capture systems that reliably stop any flow of condensate liquidsfrom reaching downstream gas-specific devices.

Accordingly, embodiments of this disclosure are generally directed tosystems that provide selective mechanical blocking of liquids in asample line. In some embodiments, a trigger material, such as SodiumPolyacrylates, polymer gel, and superabsorbent polymers, is positionedin a housing so that gases flow through the housing until liquid ispresent and the trigger material mechanically expands to seal thehousing against sample flow. The ability of the trigger material toexpand considerably, such as 400 times its normal dry size or more,within a housing attached to the sample line allows for quick andefficient physically blockage the flow of the sample line once thetrigger material encounters liquid. As a result of the mechanicaltrigger material expanding, the maintenance of the sample line is forcedto remove any condensate liquids and the downstream gas-specificdestination is preserved.

FIG. 1 is a block representation of an example sample system 100 inwhich various embodiments may be practiced. A fluid sample 102 canoriginate at one or more sources 104 that may be dissimilar physicallocations and/or types of fluid. For example, the source 104 can be acombination of a first source that is a naturally occurring reservoir ofa fluid combination of different liquids and gases while a second sourceis a stream of man-made gas. Hence, it is contemplated that a samplesystem 100 can concurrently or sequentially collect fluid samplescontaining a diverse variety of constituent liquids and/or gases fromone or more sources 104.

Regardless of where and what type of fluid sample 102 is provided by asource 104, a transmission assembly 106 can transport the sample 102 toone or more gas utilization destinations 108. While not limiting, thetransmission assembly 106 can have various valves 110 and at least onepressure means 112 to direct the fluid sample 102 towards the gasutilization destinations 108. The gas utilization destinations 108 maybe gas-specific devices, such as measurement equipment, that aresensitive to the presence of liquids in the fluid sample 102. Thus, thetransmission assembly 106 can consist of one or more devices thatprocess the fluid sample 102 into a gas sample 114 that has negligibleliquid or liquid vapor.

FIG. 2 represents an example mudlogging testing system 130 that isarranged in accordance with some embodiments. The testing system 130 hasa downhole fluid sample source 132 that is transported to a gasutilization destination 108 via a transmission assembly 106. Thedownhole sample source 132 can be a wellbore 134 having a depth 136below ground-level 138, such as 100 feet or more. The wellbore 134 maybe an open bore or a cased production string designed to extractunderground hydrocarbons in various forms, such as liquid oil andnatural gas.

At any depth 136 in the wellbore 134, a fluid sample 140 can becollected via a sample extractor 142. The sample extractor 142 may beplaced anywhere drilling fluid 144 is present, such as aboveground-level 138, to extract a sample 140 from the drilling fluid 144.The fluid sample 140 may contain any combination of liquids and gasesthat are carried through the transmission assembly 106 via a pressuresource 112, which may be a pump, compressor, or combination of the twoto provide positive or vacuum pressure on the fluid sample 140.

The transmission of the fluid sample 140 towards the gas utilizationdestination 108 via the pressure source 112 flows through at least oneconduit 146, which may be rigid or flexible tubing and/or piping. Theconduit 146 may continuously extend for a length, such as 100 feet ormore, that exposes the fluid sample 140 to environmental conditionsoutside the conduit 146 that can condense vaporized liquid in the fluidsample 140. As the fluid sample 140 collects condensed liquids, thepressure/vacuum from the pressure source 112 will send the liquidtowards the gas utilization destination 108, which is problematic fordestinations like the example mudlogging device 148 shown in FIG. 2 thatare designed to receive gas samples exclusively.

It is contemplated that the transmission assembly 106 can comprise oneor more sample processing means 150, such as a moisture trap, filter,separator, and valves. However, conventional liquid trapping and/orseparating means have proven unreliable over time, particularly in harshconditions commonly associated with hydrocarbon exploration andprocessing. Accordingly, various embodiments position at least onetrigger valve 152 in-line with the conduit 146 between the wellbore 134and the mudlogging device 148 to provide a failsafe that prevents liquidfrom arriving at the mudlogging device 148.

It is noted that the mudlogging device 148 can be positioned anywhererelative to the wellbore 134, but in some embodiments, is on-site withthe wellbore 134, such as within 1000 feet, and contained within asingle explosion-proof housing with computing equipment that allows forthe input of a gas sample 114 and the output of at least one gasmeasurement, such as the presence of one or more constituent gases,while on-site. As a non-limiting example, the mudlogging device 148 canhave at least one local processor 154, such as a microprocessor orprogrammable controller, that directs gas measurements activity with atleast one sensor 156 as directed by software 158 stored in local memory160. The results of the gas sample measurements can be locally stored orsent to a remote host via a communication circuit 162, such as awireless or wired radio, telephone, secure, or non-secure broadcastmeans.

FIGS. 3A and 3B respectively display line representations of an exampletrigger valve 170 that may be employed by the systems 100/130 inaccordance with assorted embodiments to prevent liquids from reaching agas utilization destination 108. The trigger valve 170 may be utilizedanywhere in-line along a transmission assembly 106 to receive a fluidsample 102 that may contain any number and volume of liquids, liquidvapor, and gas. The trigger valve 170 has a sealed housing 172 with aninlet 174 and separate outlet 176 connected to one or more pipes, tubes,or conduits. In some embodiments, the housing has an affixed, oradjustable, electrical float switch that is activated by a high level ofliquid within the housing.

The housing 172 contains a trigger material 178 that, in its initialconfiguration, allows gas to freely pass from the inlet 174 to theoutlet 176. The trigger material 178 may be a powder, solid, or gel inits initial state that occupies less than all, or the entirety of, theregion between first 180 and second 182 porous members. The It iscontemplated, but not required, that the porous members 180 and 182retain the trigger material 178 in a predetermined location regardlessof the volume and speed of sample flow through the valve 170. The porousmembers 180/182 can be rigid, semi-flexible, or wholly flexiblematerial, such as mesh, paper, polymer, or rubber, of any size andthickness to reliably retain the trigger material 178 without degradingsample flow.

While the trigger material 178 allows sample flow through the valve 170unimpeded as initially constructed, as shown in FIG. 3A, the presence ofliquid or liquid vapor in the housing 172 automatically reacts with thetrigger material 178 to cause the material to drastically expand, suchas over 100 times the material's original size. That is, any liquid inthe valve housing 172 is absorbed by the trigger material 178 causingthe material to expand to fill the housing 172, as shown in FIG. 3B, andprevent the flow of liquids or gases to the outlet 176. It iscontemplated that the trigger material 178 partially or completelytransforms into a gelatin state in the presence of liquid. It is furthercontemplated, but not required, that the trigger material comprises amaterial that changes color in response to encountering liquid and/orliquid vapor.

The material construction of the trigger material 178 is not limited toa particular substance, and may be a combination of multiple differentsubstances. However, some embodiments utilize Sodium Polyacrylate as thetrigger material 178 while other embodiments utilize a combination ofmultiple different superabsorbent polymers to ensure the presence ofliquid of any appreciable volume in the housing 172 results in thetrigger material 178 expanding to seal the outlet 176 and render thevalve 170 useless for the purposes of sample flow.

The trigger material 178, in a non-limiting embodiment, can beconstructed to allow gas molecules of a particular size, such as 1micron or less, to flow through the valve 170 despite the triggermaterial 178 having expanded to prevent the flow of any molecules largerthan the particular size. Such restricted flow despite an expandedtrigger material 178 can be created by engineering the trigger material178 of a substance, or multiple substances, that have a density,molecule packing arrangement, and molecule size that inhibits flow abovethe predetermined particular size while allowing flow below thatparticular size. It is further contemplated that veins, such asnanotubes, can be positioned within the housing 172 to resist triggermaterial 178 expansion so that at least one pathways of a particularmolecular size is present through the expanded trigger material 178.

Regardless of the material construction of the trigger material 178 orwhether some molecules are allowed to flow after expansion, the presenceof liquid in the housing 172 quickly and efficiently closes the valve170 to normal operation, which protects the downstream gas utilizationdestination 108. As such, the valve 170 would need to be replaced toregain normal flow through the transmission assembly 106. In yet, theprotection of sensitive downstream equipment is deemed a worthwhilesacrifice for the system downtime and expense of a new trigger valve170.

The position of the trigger material, and any retaining porous members180/182, can be tuned within the housing to provide varyingsensitivities to the presence of liquids in a fluid sample. FIGS. 4A-4Crespectively display different trigger material configurations for anexample trigger valve 190 that can be employed in a fluid sample systemin accordance with various embodiments. In FIG. 4A, a trigger valvehousing 192 has an inlet 194 and outlet 196 separated on a commonsurface 198 of the housing 192.

The trigger material 200 is retained proximal the common surface 198 bya single porous member 202. The position of the trigger material 200allows, but does not require, the flow of gases from inlet 194 to outlet196 without contact with the trigger material 200 or porous member 202.However, the close proximity of the trigger material to the outlet 198corresponds with a fast reaction time to encountered liquids to seal theoutlet 198. It is noted that the position of the trigger material 200can result in less than all the interior space of the housing 192 beingoccupied after expansion, as illustrated by the segmented line 204.

The example trigger valve 190 of FIG. 4B conveys how the triggermaterial 200 can be positioned proximal an inlet 194 and distal from anoutlet 196 by a single porous member 202. In a housing 206 thatpositions the inlet 194 and outlet 196 on different surfaces, thetrigger material 200 can be positioned so that the inlet 194 is sealedbefore the outlet 196 in response to material expansion as a result ofencountered liquid or liquid vapor. The positioning of trigger material200 proximal the inlet 194 can ensure that the fluid sample contacts thetrigger material 200.

It is contemplated that multiple separate trigger materials 200 can beutilized in a single valve 190. FIG. 4C displays how a first porousmember 208 retains a first trigger material 200 proximal the inlet 194while a second porous member 210 retains a second trigger material 212proximal the outlet 196. By placing separate trigger materials 200/212in a single housing 214, the overall sensitivity to liquids and liquidvapor can be increased. Also, separate trigger regions allows fordifferent trigger materials 200/212 to be concurrently utilized. Forinstance, the first trigger material 200 can be different and exhibitdifferent expansion characteristics, such as expansion speed anddensity, than the second trigger material 212.

The ability to tune the size, position, and number of trigger materialsin a trigger valve 190 allows a diverse variety of fluids and fluidconditions to be accurately accommodated. For instance, a single triggermaterial valve (FIG. 4B) can be swapped with a multiple trigger materialvalve (FIG. 4C) to change the sensitivity and reaction of the valve toliquid present in a fluid sample. Regardless of the configuration of thetrigger material, the trigger valve can process a fluid sample 102 intoa gas sample 114 that is assuredly void of liquids.

However, a transmission assembly 106 may have additional sampleprocessing means that can act in concert with one or more trigger valvesto efficiently provide a gas sample to a downstream gas utilizationdestination. FIG. 5 illustrates a block representation of an exampletransmission assembly 220 that can be used to transport and processfluid samples 102 into a gas sample 114 ready for use in one or more gasutilization destinations. As shown, a fluid sample 102 from at least onesource 104 can encounter a check valve 222, first trigger valve 224,filter 226, moisture trap 228, condenser 230, and second trigger valve232 in route to a gas utilization destination 108.

Although FIG. 5 conveys the respective aspects of the transmissionassembly 220 in a sequence, such arrangement is not required or limitingas any number and type of device can be placed in-line between a source104 and the destination 108. As a result of flow through thetransmission assembly 220, the fluid sample 102 that has an unknowncomposition upstream results in a gas sample 114 with a solely gaseouscomposition downstream.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of an example sample flow routine 240 that can beconducted with the various embodiments of FIGS. 1-5. The routine 240begins by connecting at least one source, such as a downhole wellbore,to at least one gas utilization destination, such as a mudloggingdevice, in step 242 via a transmission assembly. The transmissionassembly consists of at least one trigger valve and may comprise otherdevices, as conveyed in FIG. 5.

Step 244 extracts a fluid sample from a source and delivers the sampleto the transmission assembly where it encounters a trigger valve in step246. Once within the housing of the trigger valve, decision 248 isdeterminative on the presence of liquid and/or liquid vapor in the fluidsample. If liquids are present, step 250 automatically responds byexpanding the trigger material of the trigger valve to seal housing andprevent any flow through the valve. It is noted that step 250 mayconsist of partial sealing of the housing to allow gases of a particularmolecular size to flow after trigger material expansion, but such is notrequired.

After step 250, a new trigger valve must be installed before the routine240 can return to step 246. In the event decision 248 does not encounterliquid and/or liquid vapor, step 252 delivers a now gas sample to a gasutilization destination where gas measurements are conducted in step 254to provide at least the composition of the gas sample in step 256.

Through the various embodiments of the present disclosure, liquids arereliably prevented from reaching a gas-specific destination. Configuringa trigger valve with one or more trigger materials at one or morelocations within a valve housing allows for customization of how thetrigger material reacts to encountered liquids and liquid vapor, whichaccommodates different sample processing tolerances and conditions. Witha gas sample exiting a trigger valve without any appreciable liquidspresent, a gas utilization destination can employ more precise testingwith heightened performance due to the elimination of safety mechanismsthat guard against liquids contaminating the gas-specific destination.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus comprising a housing having an inletand an outlet, a trigger material disposed between the inlet and outletwithin the housing, the trigger material sealing the housing to preventfluid flow to the outlet in response to liquid being present in thehousing.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the trigger material isSodium Polyacrylate.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the triggermaterial occupies less than all of an interior volume of the housingprior to the presence of liquid.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1, whereinthe trigger material is a powder prior to the presence of liquid.
 5. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein the trigger material is positionedproximal the inlet and separated from the outlet.
 6. The apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein the trigger material comprises multiple differentsuperabsorbent polymers.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein thetrigger material is retained in a predetermined position in the housingby a single porous member.
 8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein thetrigger material is disposed between first and second porous memberswithin the housing.
 9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the liquid iswater.
 10. A system comprising a first housing connected in-line betweena wellbore and a mudlogging device as part of a transmission assembly,the first housing having a first trigger material disposed between aninlet and an outlet within the first housing, the first trigger materialsealing the first housing to prevent fluid flow to the outlet inresponse to liquid being present in the first housing.
 11. The system ofclaim 10, wherein the first housing is positioned within 1000 feet ofthe wellbore.
 12. The system of claim 10, wherein the first housing hasan electrical float switch responsive to a high level of liquid withinthe first housing.
 13. The system of claim 10, wherein the transmissionassembly comprises a pressure source and a second housing containing asecond trigger material, the first and second housings being separateand connected via a conduit.
 14. The system of claim 10, wherein thetransmission assembly comprises a moisture trap upstream of the firsthousing.
 15. A method comprising: connecting a housing between a fluidsource and a gas utilization destination, the housing having an inletand an outlet, a trigger material disposed between the inlet and outletwithin the housing; flowing a gas sample through the housing inlet tothe housing outlet unimpeded by the trigger material; introducing liquidinto the housing; and sealing the housing with the trigger material toprevent flow to the outlet in response to liquid being present in thehousing.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the trigger materialexpands in size by absorbing the liquid to cover and seal the inlet andoutlet of the housing.
 17. The method of claim 15, wherein the triggermaterial expands over 100 times in size in response to encountering theliquid to seal the housing.
 18. The method of claim 15, wherein thetrigger material changes color in response to encountering the liquid.19. The method of claim 15, wherein the trigger material converts to agel state in response to encountering the liquid.
 20. The method ofclaim 15, wherein the trigger material expands to force a porous memberto contact and seal the inlet of the housing.